Stage Fort was a fort that existed from 1635 to 1898 on Stage Head in what is now

Stage Fort Park Stage Fort Park is a park at Stage Head in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Gloucester, Massachusetts, part of the Essex National Heritage Area. It contains two beaches, a large playground, picnic benches, two baseball fields, a basketball court, a dog p ...

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of North Shore (Massachusetts), Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. ...

. Stage Head was named for a fishing "stage" dating back to the original settlement by the Dorchester Adventurers Company circa 1624. The area was first fortified in 1635 and garrisoned intermittently from then until the Spanish–American War.Fort Gloucester at FortWiki.com
/ref>Roberts, p. 400

History

After the first fort was built on the site in 1635, the next upgrade was a rudimentary fortified breastwork in 1703 for

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) or the Third Indian War was one in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Gr ...

. New breastworks and a platform for eight 12-pounder

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

were built in 1743 for

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...

. The fort was refurbished for the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

circa 1754. Another breastwork was built for the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

in October 1775. In the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

the fort was repaired and a barracks added. The fort was further renovated circa 1862 for the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

under the supervision of Major Charles E. Blunt, and called Fort Conant after early settler Roger Conant.Manuel, pp. 32, 38, 43 He arrived at Stage Head circa 1626 and is credited as the

Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns of Essex, Man ...

colony's first governor. He resided in a "

great house A great house is a large house or mansion with luxurious appointments and great retinues of indoor and outdoor staff. The term is used mainly historically, especially of properties at the turn of the 20th century, i.e., the late Victorian or ...

" near Stage Head, which was moved to Salem by his successor

John Endecott John Endecott (also spelled Endicott; 1588 – 15 March 1665), regarded as one of the Fathers of New England, was the longest-serving governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which became the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He s ...

circa 1628. An 1864 plan of the fort shows

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of Age of Gunpowder, gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a sp ...

s for four guns and a

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

. An armament list for the fort dated January 31, 1865 shows three 32-pounder

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

guns mounted. Also, the

Eastern Point Fort Eastern Point Fort was a fort that was garrisoned or maintained from 1863 to 1867 on Eastern Point in Gloucester, Massachusetts, built for the American Civil War. References indicate the name has also been used to refer to the much-older Stage ...

was built in 1863 to provide a fort much nearer the harbor entrance. In the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

of 1898, a military camp named Camp Hobson was at or near Stage Fort.

Present

The fort was reconstructed for tourism in 1930, with a further reconstruction and the addition of period and reproduction

in 1973. It is open to the public in

, which also includes Gloucester's welcome center for visitors.

Historical names

Over nearly four centuries of existence, the fort on Stage Head has been known by many names. In addition to Stage Fort and Fort Conant, references list Fort Gloucester (Fort at Gloucester was used by the US Army for Fort Defiance), Fort Point, Fort Eastern Point, and other variants of these names. Fort Banks, Fort Cross, and Fort Allen were alternate names during the Fort Conant period of the Civil War. The Eastern Point name may refer to the

, which was built in 1863 across the harbor. Fort Point is also used for the land Fort Defiance was built on.

References

* * {{FmrMAForts Forts in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Gloucester, Massachusetts British forts in the United States Colonial forts in Massachusetts American Revolutionary War forts War of 1812 forts American Civil War forts 1635 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1898 disestablishments in Massachusetts

History

Present

Historical names

See also

References